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Monday, July 3, 2017

I have very happily moved back into writing. I love NANOWRIMO because it kicks my behind to write. It's really easy to stop writing and to make excuses for not having the time.

I forget sometimes when I do this that I really love to write. My summer camp project at Camp NaNoWriMo is one I started on a few years ago (yes, I can procrastinate that long) called The Basket Case about a widow who finds herself at loose ends only to suddenly become the manager of three craft stores and a recipient of evidence for a murder in her shop.

It's funny that today I'm writing a chapter about silver linings. We don't always recognize these when they come our way, but I'm experiencing one myself. Summer means slower days for my Etsy shops, especially the yarn shop. Not great financially because schools are also closed and no sub jobs available, but more time to write. I signed up for NaNo this summer again and have managed eight pages in two days. I was a day late starting, of course.

If you love to write and need encouragement, this is your chance to dive in the pool with the rest of us. November is always a tough writing month for me and I have yet to conquer the 50,000 words challenge. But summer camp is, well, summer camp - laid back and not as demanding. You can set your own goal, pages or word count for the month. I set my goal to 200 pages as I already had 102 pages completed before July. Yes, I'm behind, but let's see if I can catch up this afternoon or tomorrow. Happy 4th everyone! My handle is cobwebscaught, by the way.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

I have just finished reading Magelica's Voyage To The Land of the Fairies by Louise Courey Nadeau. This is the third in a series of magical adventure stories about Magelica, the half-human half-fairy as she explores her family roots.
In this book, Magelica is invited to visit the Council of Fairies to discover the story of her parents, a Fairy, named Zanna, and a human, named George. On the way, she is reminded that having a positive outlook is needed to overcome obstacles.
I enjoyed the illustrations in the book, done by Nathan Heinze, which really carried the story and will be a delight for young readers. I would say this book is appropriate for very young children who may not be ready for independent reading. It has questions in the end that provide for reflection and further interaction between children and their parents or teachers reading to them.
For parents looking for books without the rough gritty edges present in a number of modern books for young children, this book would be a relief. Although I think I would have liked a little more danger along the way to the Fairies than a menacing tree, I appreciate the book's pleasant characters, human and magical, and the positive values it presents. I would recommend this book. I did receive a complimentary digital copy for review purposes.